Mantic59's Shaving Journal

Off Topic But Necessary

mantic59@gmail.com (mantic59) — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 14:34:00 +0000

I couple months ago I had posted here that I was going to avoid non-shaving-related postings. Here's an exception because I think it needs to be talked about more openly.

I just had a colonoscopy.

Fun times, eh? I've heard a lot of stories about how painful and embarrassing they can be so I want to share my experience with those who may benefit from a "first hand" narrative.

(tl;dnr summary: its not that bad)

By way of background, I have had a steady stream of "encouragement" to get a colonoscopy for the last six months or so, after two events: my mother getting treated for colon cancer (successfully by the way) and a second, life-threatening gastric ulcer (the first one was four years ago, caused by H. Pylori bacterium and the second one this past May caused by an idiot primary care physician over-prescribing Ibuprofen for a back problem). After the second ulcer episode the gastroenterologist "suggested" that I get a colonoscopy to make sure that "the other end" didn't have ulcers. My (new!) primary care physician also "suggested" the procedure both as a second opinion to the gastroenterologist and also since I was hitting the age of 50 anyway. I delayed as long as I could until last month my wife went SWMBO on me and scheduled the procedure.

So, here's what happened. For the three days prior to the procedure I had to avoid eating beans, peas, popcorn, corn, and grapes.

The day before the procedure I had to be on a clear liquid diet: chicken or beef broth, tea, coffee (black), white cranberry juice, sports drinks (e.g. Gatorade), apple juice, white grape juice, orange juice (no pulp), carbonated sodas, etc. No dairy products or anything that had red or purple coloring.

At Noon that day I started the "purge" by taking two Bisacodyl pills. They started working about 4pm with what I can only describe as a "butt explosion." OK, make that several "butt explosions." It was a LMD--Laxative of Mass Destruction. Seen a Space Shuttle launch? Yeah, its kind of like that: I thought I was going to get launched off the commode. But there wasn't any pain or cramping associated with it and while "the urge to go" was fairly sudden I did have time to make it to the bathroom.

Coincidentally this was right at the time I was supposed to start drinking "Halflytely." This is stuff you mix with two liters (!) of water and is drunk in 8oz increments every 15 minutes. So for the next 90 minutes I'm drinking and going, drinking and going.

(By the way, this process used to be a lot worse from what people have told me. Halflytely is the successor to "Golytely," an apparently truly ghastly concoction. Halflytely tastes a little like a lemon-lime soda that has "gone flat." While not exactly great tasting I tolerated it easily even with the quantity I had to drink. But whoever thought up the name "Golytely" and "Halflytely" should be taken out and shot. There is nothing "light" about the results.)

Anyway, the worst of it was over by about 9pm. After Midnight and up to the procedure nothing by mouth allowed: no clear liquids, chewing gum, mints, cough drops, etc...nothing. I still had to "go" periodically overnight and into the next morning, and it was still pretty forceful, but less and less came out. Out of curiosity I weighed myself before I started and again just before I left for the doctor's office: I lost 4kg (that's almost 9 lbs).

My appointment was scheduled for 11am the next morning; its an out-patient procedure at the clinic my gastroenterologist is associated with. I sign in, answer a lot of medical questions, pay the fee (gawd, I have to PAY to have this done to me...), and get taken to the preparation area. I undress and put on a hospital gown. More questions from another nurse and she starts an IV with a fluid-replacement mix, though she tells me its really there to make the medicines they'll give me take effect more quickly. OK, I'm a little nervous now, but the nurse assures me that the medicine they'll give me will put me to sleep and I won't feel (or at least remember) a thing.

My wife gives me a smooch and bids me adieu as they wheel me out of the prep room and into the endoscopy room. The first thing I notice is the endoscope...with a loooooong tube attached to it. *Gulp* They hook me up to the monitoring equipment: BP 140/80, pulse 90, pulsox 98%, etc. I try not to think of the loooooong tube and look at the pulse monitor to do some biofeedback. Pulse drops to 80. More people come into the room and go about their business. Pulse goes up to 100 briefly; I tell myself to relax and pulse goes back to 80. Finally the doctor comes in: this man has (literally) saved my life twice so I trust him and I stay relaxed for the moment. We chit-chat for a minute and everyone seems ready to begin. I look at the nurse next to me and ask "I'm not going to remember any of this, right?" She smiles and says "goodnight..."

I'm next dimly aware of a strange sound, almost like groaning. Then another sound also like groaning but somehow different. I wake up a little more and open my eyes: I'm in the recovery room with my wife and a nurse and *I'm* groaning. My stomach is very uncomfortable, almost like gas cramps. The nurse gently massages my abdomen and tells me to try to pass gas. What's going on? No one told me they shoot air up there! For the next 30 minutes or so I try moving around, walking, sitting, anything to get things going. Finally I get a couple good "toots" out and I start to feel a little better. My abdomen isn't quite so hard so they send us on our way: my wife drives us home.

I'm still pretty uncomfortable though. My wife suggests "hugging" an electric heating pad to try to relax some of the abdominal muscles. It takes another 30 minutes or so but then I start having some truly impressive flatus: louder and longer than anything I have ever experienced (no smell though. Remember, nothing but air is in the intestines at this point). By 8pm I feel good enough to have a small meal. By the next morning I feel fine.

So there you have it, everything you secretly wanted to know about a colonoscopy but were too afraid to ask.

Counterfeit Shaving Brushes?!?

mantic59@gmail.com (mantic59) — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 22:19:00 +0000

I've heard of knock-offs of name-brand shoes, purses, and watches. But shaving brushes? Apparently someone is trying to pass off fake Shavemac shaving brushes. More information on spotting the fakes can be found HERE on Shavemac's site. Be sure to buy your shaving products from reputable vendors.

Reminders

mantic59@gmail.com (mantic59) — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 17:27:00 +0000

Kind readers have reminded me of three other video topics I need to do:

Straight Razor Shaving
Update to "Method" Shaving
Ladies Leg Shaving

I popped over the straight razor place to start doing some prep research on straight razor shaving. It'll probably be a year before I would feel confident enough in my skills to do a video on it. That one will probably end up last on my list of videos to do.

My Inbox Overfloweth...

mantic59@gmail.com (mantic59) — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 03:13:00 +0000

Yes, despite the real world getting in the way (medical issues, putting together a home office, remodeling the guest bathroom to better accomodate video shoots), I really am working at getting some videos out the door over the next few months. Here's what I'm working on (in no particular order after the first four). I'll be happy if I can get one video out per month so this represents the next year or so of work.

5000 subscriber celebration & contest
"After the Shave" (aftershave balms, splashes, alum, styptic, etc. Might have to turn it into a multi-part video)
Lathering Mitchell's Wool Fat Shave Soap
The Goodfella Razor
Maintaining Sideburns
SE razors (GEM, Injector)
Tips On Buying a Shaving Brush
Witch Hazel
The "Philosophy" of Shaving
Getting A Shave At Truefitt & Hill In Las Vegas
Inexpensive Shave Brush "Battle Royale"
Dealing with Ingrown Hairs
Dealing with Razor Burn
Dealing with Razor Rash

Very Cool TV Story

mantic59@gmail.com (mantic59) — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 17:42:00 +0000

Check THIS out! THIS too! Plus the related THREAD over at Badger and Blade.

Facebook Fan Page

mantic59@gmail.com (mantic59) — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 17:13:00 +0000

I'm setting up a Facebook "fan page." More info coming (as I try to figure out how it works).

A "Stock" Posting?

mantic59@gmail.com (mantic59) — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 17:57:00 +0000

I sometimes post on forums that are not related to shaving but have a shaving-related topic going on. I recently wrote this as a reply to one such topic (the original poster was wondering why he was getting "redness and these little white bumps" after shaving) and I think I may just keep it as my "stock" answer to a lot of shaving gripes:

Repeat after me: preparation and reduction, preparation and reduction.

Most people don't prepare for a shave adequately; they splash on some water for a couple seconds and then slap on some goo from a can and expect to get a decent shave out of it. Some people can...most can't. The fact is that it can take up to three minutes to fully hydrate the face before a shave. Shave after showering if you can. If not, wash your face with a gentle facial soap (not a freakin' body bar or deodorant soap!) and lots and lots of the hottest water you're comfortable with.

And for gods sake, use a decent lather. Just about anything out of pressurized can won't cut it. The propellent causes little pockets of air in the cream or gel which will dry out the skin. Then they have to put in artificial lubricants to try to make up for it (more chemicals on your face, meh). Use something from a squeeze tube or better yet a traditional shave cream or soap that you use a shaving brush with. You'll be *amazed* at the difference.

OK so you've got a decent lather going. Now you're going to reduce the beard in stages instead of trying to get everything all at once. Shave--using as little pressure as possible on the razor--in the direction your hair grows in (with the "grain"). Don't try to get every last hair at this point, the idea is to comfortably knock down the worst of it. Take your time and use relatively short strokes--maybe an inch or so at a time. Rinse with hot water and relather. Now shave *across* the grain (90 degree angle) to knock down a little more beard. Rinse with hot water and relather. This time shave across the grain from the opposite direction. Rinse with hot water and relather. Now shave against the grain. After getting the hang of this technique you can start working on short-cuts: maybe you don't need that second cross-grain pass or you don't need that last against-grain pass after all, for example.

OK you're done shaving. Rinse again with hot water, thoroughly. You want to get off any gel or cream residue that still might be on the face (some gels stick to your face like grim death and will clog your pores and give you ingrown hairs or shaving bumps if you're not careful). Now go ahead and splash on some cool water to start sealing the pores. Finish with an aftershave that doesn't have alcohol as the 1st ingredient.

My Grandfather's Shave Kit

mantic59@gmail.com (mantic59) — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 02:50:00 +0000

My sister found my late grandfather's shaving kit and sent it to me. The razor is a Valet Autostrop.

Wetshave Vendors Coming Through!

mantic59@gmail.com (mantic59) — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 18:17:00 +0000

WOW, what a response from the wetshaving vendor community! I made a few tentative inquiries regarding prize donations to my 5000 subscriber contest idea. To date I have commitments from more than 15 vendors, with more coming in! At this rate I think I will be able to have more than one contest--I'm thinking one video-based and one blog-based--with multiple prizes for each category. This could be completely awsome!

Contest?

mantic59@gmail.com (mantic59) — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 14:15:00 +0000

I'm coming up on what I consider to be a remarkable milestone: I will soon have 5000 YouTube subscribers! I'd like to celebrate by holding some kind of contest. I'm contacting various vendors to see if they would contribute prizes (gotten some positive feedback already).

What kind of contest ideas do you have? I suppose I could just choose a number of subscribers randomly but I would rather so something a little more creative. If I get enough prizes I suppose I could do several different things!

Off Topic - Mantique59

mantic59@gmail.com (mantic59) — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 18:59:00 +0000

Mantique59

Last Chance For Howcast Voting!

mantic59@gmail.com (mantic59) — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 18:53:00 +0000

Howcast's "How To Video Challenge" voting period ends at 8:59 pm PDT tonight. Vote for my "How To Get A Better Shave" entry HERE. Help me get into the top ten? Even if you voted previously, you can vote again! Thanks!

Howcast Contest Restarting

mantic59@gmail.com (mantic59) — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 13:27:00 +0000

Howcast has re-started their "Video Challenge" contest. Because of the previous "irregularities" there have been a few changes:

"Viewers will now create a Howcast account or sign in to their existing account in order to vote. They will be able to vote on as many videos as they want and any one video, once per day. Please tell your friends, family, and fans, a super easy way to create a Howcast account is to use Facebook Connect, which will appear as an option when they attempt to vote. (Using Facebook Connect means they won't have to type in any information to create an account.)"

So hop to it! Head on over to Howcast, get yourself a free account and vote for my entry every day!

Happy Anniversary To Me

mantic59@gmail.com (mantic59) — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 11:41:00 +0000

Wow, three years ago today I posted my first shaving video to YouTube:

It now has almost 300,000 views.

Howcast Voting Temporarily Suspended

mantic59@gmail.com (mantic59) — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 18:13:00 +0000

Howcast has suspended voting in their contest due to "irregularities" (yeah, I was kinda wondering why some pretty lame videos where getting some significant votes). Their explanation is here. I'll let everyone know when it starts again!

Vote For ME!

mantic59@gmail.com (mantic59) — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 12:00:00 +0000

If you've read this blog a couple weeks ago you know I've submitted a how-to video to Howcast's "How-To Video Challenge." Now is the time to vote for me! From the rules:

"...viewers will have one week to vote on their favorite videos to select the pool of finalists. During the voting period, viewers may vote for as many videos as they like, but may only vote for each video once each day. Finalists--the top 10 entrants with the most votes--will be judged by a panel of film, video, web, and how-to professionals to determine the 1st, 2nd and 3rd place winners."

So vote for me every day! Here's how: go to THIS page and click on the "thumbs up" button!

Off Topic - The End Of Physical Therapy!

mantic59@gmail.com (mantic59) — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 17:55:00 +0000

LINK

Response Comment From Lifehacker Article

mantic59@gmail.com (mantic59) — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 13:33:00 +0000

Great comment from a reader of the Lifehacker article:

"Funny how guys think it's ridiculous to spend ten minutes on something that affects the way you look and feel the entire day, but they'll sit in front of WoW or TV for hours. "

Welcome LifeHacker & Painless Frugality Readers!

mantic59@gmail.com (mantic59) — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 22:34:00 +0000

I just found out that one of my videos was linked to LifeHacker via Painless Frugality. Welcome!

Howcast

mantic59@gmail.com (mantic59) — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 19:45:00 +0000

I went ahead and uploaded the 3rd video to Howcast; I'm pretty pleased with it now and I don't want to "over-tweak" it. I'll start pestering y'all when voting begins on 29 July.

Take 3

mantic59@gmail.com (mantic59) — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 13:42:00 +0000

I was able to fiddle with audio equalization of the narration track, making it a bit more crisp-sounding I think, and re-did some of the static video shots to something more interesting. I don't think I'm going to go with the numbers idea after-all. All-in-all, I think this is the best of the bunch. Thanks for everyone's input!

Contest Video, Take 2

mantic59@gmail.com (mantic59) — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 13:16:00 +0000

Many thanks for all the comments and suggestions on my Howcast video entry. I've taken many of those suggestions and "tweaked" the video for a 2nd try. I think this may be the final product, except I can't decide on one thing: should I leave this video pretty much as-is or should I re-title it "9 Tips For A Better Wet Shave" and add little numbers to the screen as each tip comes up? What do you think?

Howcast Contest Entry

mantic59@gmail.com (mantic59) — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 03:41:00 +0000

After three months I'm finally getting motivated to start doing videos again. Howcast is sponsoring a contest for creative "how-to" videos of under three minutes(!), so to get my creative juices flowing again I've made a video about how to get a better shave. Take a look at it here; please feel free to make comments or suggestions before I submit it! Please note that I've lowered the resolution to 320x240 for bandwidth considerations. The contest submission will be at 640x480.

DE Razor "Aggressiveness" Quantified

mantic59@gmail.com (mantic59) — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 17:14:00 +0000

Tweeter "r0ckrat" turned me on to THIS table over on badgerandblade.com, quantifying the blade exposure of many DE razors. Very cool. I'll be putting this on the "Helpful Links" links list.

Curiouser and Curiouser

mantic59@gmail.com (mantic59) — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 15:05:00 +0000

Just as I was finishing up my analysis of P&G's acquisition of AOS, I now read that P&G has also just purchased Zirh. I'm going to have to ponder some of my analysis points a little further before I post....

[Update] P&G's official announcement.